Monorail trolley



July 23, 1946. G. c. HENDERSON 2,404,376

MONORAIL TROLLEY Filed Oct. 18, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet} s In N Zinqentot George C. Hznderson r atfiornega y 1946' I G. c. HENDERSON. 2,404,376

MoNoRAIL TROLLEY Filed Oct. 18, 1944 2 sheets-sha 2 I 36 a I V 5 y il- I: \Q; 35 :4: ll: 1 V; 1 w 1 g "I'll-1' Zhwentor 5 6 George C. Henderson I I f (Kttorncg Patented July 23, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MONORAIL TnoLLEx George C. Henderson, Detroit, Mich. Application October 18, 1944, Serial No. 559,207

13 Claims. 1

invention relates to monorail traction systems and particularly to trolleys for such systems.

An object of the invention is to provide a simplified yet highly efficient mechanism'for driving a trolley-suspended carriage along a monorail.

Another object is to provide a drive mechanism for a, trolley-suspended carriage that .may be easily adapted to different suspended loads, to assure an adequate but not excessive tractive friction between a drive wheel and a monorail track.

Another object is to prevent inan improved manner side sway of a trolley in traveling at monorail.

Another object is to provide in an improved manner for securely holding a carriage suspending trolley engaged with its track, while affording it a ready removal from the track by means of a simple control. 7

Another object is to utilize monorail trolleys as coupling member for cars of a suspended train.

Another object is to suspend acar from an overhead track by trolleys riding the track and coupled to the end portions of the car.

Another object is to detachably couple the cars of a toy monorail train to the trolleys of the train, permitting different types of cars, such as passenger. and freight to alternatively employ the same trolleys, thus reducing the cost 'of a train set including different types of cars.

.These and various other objects are attained by the construction hereinafter described andillustrated in the accompanying drawings, where- "g. 1 is a view in side elevation of a train suspended on a monorail track by my improved trolleys. I f I Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, showing in end elevation the motor car of said train and its trolley.

Fig. 3 is atop plan view of the motor car trolley.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view of the motor car trolley taken on the line 44 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view of said trolley taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view of the trailer trolley, taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 1.

In these views, the reference characters I and 2 designate upper and lower parallel rails spaced rigidly apart by insulating plates 3 to form a track for my improved trolley, such track being preferred at least for purposes of toy train sets. I have illustrated a train comprising a motor car 4 and passenger cars15, allof toy design,

and have shown a drive-transmitting trolley associated with the motor car, and a mere suspension trolley associated with the passenger cars, said trolleys, however,"having certain novel features in common.

Describing first the drive-transmitting trolley, a frame 6 which may advantageously be a sheet metal stamping rigidly surmounts thecar 4 and projects upwardly therefrom, said frame having its lower end portion horizontally bent to form a base 1 bolted to the car as indicated at 8. It is preferred to extend said base forwardly and rearwardly beyond the car 4 and to perforate its ends for engagement by the downturned ends of coupling members 9 welded or otherwise permanently afllxed to the cars 5. The upper end portion of the frame 6 is of reduced width and horizontally bent to, form a lug In which journals the upper end of a shaft ll adapted to be driven by an electric motor l2 rigidly installed within the .car 4. The motor rigidly carries within said car an arched bracket l3 engaged'by the bolts 8 and formed centrally with an upstanding bearing l4 j'ournaling the motor shaft Ma. and snugly en-' gaging in an aperture of the base 1 to assure accurate alignment of the shafts II and Ila. A drive coupling between these shafts is established by forming one of them with a socket member l5 receiving the other, the latter transversely carrying a drive pin l6 engaging the socket member. Fixed on the shaft ll just below the lug I0 is a small traction wheel l'l having its under face suitably beveled, as for-example at a forty-five degree angle. Predeterminedly laterally spaced from the wheel I1 is a traction wheel [8 illustrated as cylindrical and mounted on a stub shaft l9 parallel to the shaft II and carried by the lug l0. As illustrated the free end portion of said lug is bent downwardly and then inwardly so as to support both ends of the stub shaft. The shafts II and I9 extend sufliciently above the lug H] to carry a pair of intermeshed pinions 20 whereby the wheel I8 is .driven reversely to the wheel ll. Spacing of the wheels IT and I8 adapts them to seat on and straddle the track'rail I, said wheels and particularly the wheel ll thus jointly transmitting the weight of the trolley, motor and motor car to said rail. Such weight induces a material pressure of such wheels upon the rail, particularly in view of the relative divergency of their f V rail-engaging faces.

A large rectangular aperture 2| in the upright portion of the frame 6 is productive of spaced parallel hanger arms and on each such arm is 5 V neath the track, of a trolley arranged to travel on the track, and means for detachably coupling said carriages to and suspending them from said trolley, readily releasable from the trolley by lifting of the carriages.

6. In a monorail system, the combination with a track and two trolleys disposed to travel on the track, of an elongated carriage disposed beneath the track, and means for detachably coupling the end portions of the carriage to and suspending the carriage from said trolleys, said means being releasable from the trolleys by lifting of the carriage.

7. In a monorail trolley, a trolley frame, two wheels journaled in said frame and engageable with a monorail at opposite sides thereof, one of said wheels having a beveled face adapted to seat both downwardly and laterally against the rail and serving as a traction wheel, and means for driw'ng said traction wheel to propel the trolley along the rail, the frame being apertured to to accommodate said traction wheel.

8. In a monorail trolley, a trolley frame, two wheels journaled in said frame and engageable with a monorail at opposite sides thereof, one of said wheels having a beveled face adapted to seat both downwardly and laterally against the rail, and means for driving said wheels to propel the trolley along the rail.

9. A monorail trolley comprising a frame, a pair of wheels journaled upon said frame, spaced to straddle the top face of a track, drive means for at least one of said wheels to propel the trolley along the track, and. a pair of grooved wheels journaled in said frame and oppositely spaced from the axial plane of the first mentioned pair of wheels and engageable with the track, beneath the latter, to resist lateral movement of the trolley relative to the track.

10. In a monorail trolley, a trolley frame, two wheels journaled in said frame and engageable with a monorail at opposite sides thereof, one of said wheels having a beveled face adapted to seat both downwardly and laterally against the rail and serving as a traction wheel, said frame having'a lateral extension above said wheels to dispose them in a straddling relation to the rail, and means for driving said traction wheel to propel the trolley along the rail, the frame being apertured to accommodate said traction wheel.

11. In a monorail trolley, a trolley frame having a lateral extension at its top, two wheels mounted in said frame beneath said extension and laterally spaced to engage a track in a straddling relation thereto, an approximately vertical shaft carrying and driving one of said wheels, and a pair of inter-meshed gears above said extension transmitting a drive to the other wheel.

12. In a monorail trolley and track, the combination with a trolley frame disposed at one side of the track, of an approximately vertical shaft journaled in said frame, drive means for said shaft, a traction wheel fixed on the shaft and supported on the track at one side thereof, said frame having an extension,- above and across the track, and means carried by said extension engaging the track at the other side thereof to maintain operative engagement of said wheel with the track.

13. In a monorail system, the combination with a track and two carriages in train relation be: neath the track, of a trolley arranged to travel along the track and comprising a frame, coupling elements mounted on the carriages and projecting above the trolley frame to suspend the carriages upon said frame, said elements having downturned ends and said frame being apertured to receive said ends, whereby the carriages are readily detachable from the trolley.

GEORGE C. HENDERSON. 

